


New Year's Eve

by Rawrness



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Drunkenness, Eggnog, Fluff, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Years, adorableness, tipsiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 01:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17255207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawrness/pseuds/Rawrness
Summary: USUK Omegaverse. Before ever inviting Alfred to tea on Valentine's Day, Arthur went to a New Year's Eve party to spend time with the alpha. This is the story of that night.





	New Year's Eve

**Author's Note:**

  * For [01blackcat02](https://archiveofourown.org/users/01blackcat02/gifts).



> This story is part of "The Choices We Make" series. It can be read in any order or as a standalone. 
> 
> Enjoy ^^

It was Wednesday, December thirty-first. Although it was cold outside, it was a little on the warmer side for winter. It was snowing flurries on and off throughout the day, but nothing heavy enough to stick. The snow often melted the instant it touched the ground. 

Arthur was looking forward to his lunch break all day, as he did on most days. He smiled when he saw Alfred sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria. The alpha was staring behind him in the direction of the window wall. 

Meanwhile, in front of him was a mostly empty plate that recently held fries and two burgers before the American devoured it. Alfred must have been hungry since he arrived to lunch earlier than usual. Arthur lowered his eyebrows when he noticed the needless plastic bag that the plate was sitting on. Then he rolled his eyes. Alfred may have been charming, but he was a very wasteful individual. 

"Hi, Alfred," Arthur greeted as he sat down across from the alpha. 

Alfred quickly turned to face the omega. "Hey, Arthur. Did you see? It's snowing outside!"

Arthur gave a small warm smile as he observed how excited Alfred was. 

"Yes. I hope it doesn't cause a lot of traffic tonight," Arthur said while he placed his lunch box on the table and took out a glass container holding rice and steamed vegetables.

"Oh... about that," Alfred said. "Did you hear about the party tonight?"

Arthur groaned. "My coworkers won't stop blabbering about it."

"So you're not going?" Alfred asked with a hint of disappointment.

"No bloody way," Arthur said before taking his first bite of rice.

Alfred grabbed his extra large soda and took a few sips before saying, "Actually... I was going to go to it."

"Hmm," Arthur hummed. "That's fine. I'm perfectly capable of taking the bus home."

Alfred had been driving Arthur home from work for the last several months. Arthur never once asked for a ride though. The omega didn't have any trouble taking public transportation. After all, he had been doing it for all of his adult life. But Alfred kept offering until Arthur caved in one day. 

Since Arthur's flat was actually along the way to Alfred's apartment, Arthur didn't feel bad accepting a ride from the alpha since it wasn't out of Alfred's way. Eventually, Alfred didn't have to ask anymore. It went without saying that the alpha would drive Arthur home. 

"You should come to the party. There's gonna be free food —"

"Ah. So _that's_ why you're going," Arthur teased with a smirk.

Alfred's face flushed. "Nah-uh! Well, maybe a little. I mean, come on, it's _free_ food! What can be better than that?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Go on."

"Oh yeah, there's also gonna be music, dancing, and I heard they're gonna have a gift raffle, and did I mention free food?" 

"Right... I think I'll pass," Arthur said.

Alfred frowned a little. "Well, I can still take you home if you want. I have to go home anyway to get dressed. And if you change your mind then I can pick you up."

"And go to the party together?" Arthur said, voicing Alfred's thought.

"Yeah," Alfred said with a hopeful smile.

"No, that's all right. I'll take the bus home."

"Oh... okay, that's cool too..." Alfred said sadly. 

Lunch seemed to pass by quicker today than usual. As they rode the elevator together, Alfred mentioned the party again.

"It would be awesome if I saw you at the party tonight," Alfred said.

"You won't though," Arthur stated.

The elevator dinged as they passed another floor.

"Well, I hope you change your mind," Alfred said just as they reached Arthur's floor.

"Don't hold your breath," Arthur muttered as he walked out of the elevator. He bit his lip as he stopped mid-step. Then he turned around as he said, "Have a good time."

But the doors had already closed. 

Arthur frowned a bit. He took out his phone and considered texting Alfred since the alpha hadn't heard him, but he decided against it and went back to work. 

It was difficult to focus at work for the rest of the day. Everyone was talking about the New Year's Eve party. It was the first time that the whole building was going to come together to host a single party, so people were excited since it was something new. 

There were still flurries coming down when Arthur left to go home, so the traffic was worse than usual. When he finally got home, he dropped his side bag on the floor and kicked off his boots. Then he walked into the bathroom to wash his hands and face. 

As he splashed cold water on his face, he thought about the party. 

_No, it's a rubbish idea_ , Arthur thought dismissively. He dried his face and went to the kitchen to fix himself dinner. After he fixed himself a plate, he sat down at the small table that was right outside his kitchen. While he ate, he noticed the cloth bag that was hanging on the top rail of the chair across from him. 

It was a reusable bag that he recently bought for Alfred. There was even a large American flag printed on it. Arthur planned on giving it to Alfred today as a gift but decided against it at the last minute. Arthur hadn't given another person a gift in years. He didn't even intend on getting Alfred a gift. The Brit bought it almost impulsively when he saw it in the shop. At the time, he thought it was perfect for Alfred.

Now Arthur worried that it was a foolish gift to give.

He got up the instant he was done eating and went to wash the dishes. Once he was done, he went to his armchair and picked up the book that was sitting on the seat before he sat down. He held the book in his lap and tapped his fingers against it as he resisted the urge to check his phone.

Giving in, Arthur got up and took his phone out of his petite messenger bag that was resting by the door. He frowned a bit when he didn't see any messages from Alfred.

 _Whatever_ , Arthur thought as he carried the phone with him to the armchair. 

The Brit read for a few minutes before looking at his phone again. It was half past six. The party would start at eight o'clock. If he left soon then he could get there in time even if there was still a lot of traffic. 

Arthur bit his lower lip as he looked down at the book that he just started reading. He was never really a fan of romance novels until he discovered this author who had a gift for turning alpha-meets-omega story tropes into something brilliant. This particular story was the typical romance story of how an alpha and an omega fell in love. The exciting twist was that the omega was a popular porn star and the alpha used to wank off to the omega's videos. 

He ordered the book a month ago but the shipping was delayed so he had to wait an extra two or three weeks for the book to be delivered — likely because of the holidays. It had finally arrived yesterday evening. As eager as he was to read it, he was too tired from work. He couldn't read it today at lunch since he was seeing Alfred, so he planned on reading it tonight if he had the energy, which he sort of had.

With an exaggerated sigh, Arthur placed his book on the stand beside the armchair and left to go to his bedroom. He opened a drawer from his dresser and stared at the clothes inside. 

_What do people even wear to these bloody things_ , Arthur thought to himself as he rummaged through the clothes. 

Supposedly, black always looked good, though he also thought wearing red or green would be a safe bet too. He pulled out the first red article of clothing that he saw — a dressy red tank, then went to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. His eyebrows lowered in disappointment when he saw his reflection. 

"No," he muttered to himself as he went to his room to return the tank back in the drawer. 

Next, he pulled out a black sleeveless top and a red blouse with red roses embroidered around the collar and on the edge of the short sleeves. He tried them both on. The black top was too formal and the red blouse was more appropriate for a date. 

Arthur blushed from the thought of going on a date with the alpha. It was something that Arthur actually wouldn't mind doing. In fact, he rather fancied the idea. Although they didn't see each other beyond the lunches they shared and the short ride to Arthur's apartment after work, they got to know each other pretty well over the last eight months. 

It was hard to believe that he met the alpha so long ago. When Arthur first saw Alfred in the elevator in April, he never expected to get to know him, though the Brit secretly hoped he would. Although Arthur loved when he used to read during his lunch breaks when he spent them alone, he also loved having lunch with the American. It would be nice if they could spend more time together outside of work.

 _Focus_ , Arthur thought sternly. 

After a few minutes of trying on different tops, Arthur finally found something he was comfortable with wearing. He wore a white long sleeved shirt that had a faint off-white pattern embroidered in the collar, a rose-red tie, and a festive green sweater on top that had a low v-neck. His white shirt was longer than the sleeves of his sweater, so the white cuffs covered his wrists. 

Now he needed to find pants to wear with the outfit. It was times like these that he wished his flat had more room so he could have things like a full-length mirror.

Since he couldn't see himself fully, he didn't spend as much time picking out his pants. He ended up wearing a pair of olive green dress pants.

Arthur was about to leave when he remembered his hair. He dashed in the bathroom and frowned as he looked at his mussed hair. It took several minutes to find a brush since he was always losing the thing. He brushed his hair in front of the mirror for a few minutes, but it only seemed to make his hair even more unruly. 

Standing in front of the mirror, Arthur strongly reconsidered going to the party. It was clearly a rubbish idea. 

With a sigh, Arthur walked to his room and looked around for a bit until he found his makeup. Then he returned to the bathroom and applied a little eyeshadow, a light hint of blush on his cheeks, and faintly colored lipgloss. Arthur frowned as he looked in the mirror. He very dolled up. It was a nice look, but he didn't want it to be clear that he was dressing up for the alpha.

So Arthur washed his face with soap and water until the makeup was mostly gone. There was still a trace of eyeshadow left on his eyebrows, which actually looked rather nice as it was. Arthur reapplied the lipgloss and decided that he had done enough.

Arthur went back into his bedroom and opened the small closet by the dresser. It was the only closet in his flat, so he stored his coats and jackets there. He pulled out a slimming black coat and put it on. Fortunately, there were gloves in the pocket, so he didn't have to waste more time to look for them. After he put them on, he looked around for a hat since he preferred them to wearing hoods, but he couldn't find any.

Wondering what time it was, Arthur looked around for his phone and groaned when he realized that he had misplaced that as well. When he finally found it, he cursed under his breath. It was a quarter after eight. He was going to be late.

Rushing toward the kitchen, Arthur picked up the reusable bag he bought for Alfred and folded it as small as he could, then he pushed it inside his coat pocket which was deep and easily had room for the bag. Then Arthur grabbed his small side bag and was about to leave when he wondered if he should switch his things into a nicer purse.

Deciding there wasn't enough time, he put on his black boots and hurried to the bus stop, but he just narrowly missed the bus.

"Sod!" Arthur cursed. He sat down on the metal bench, then promptly stood back up. The bench was freezing cold. 

The Brit stood there for two minutes before he started thinking about going back home where it was warm. He thought about how nice it would be to snuggle under a blanket in his armchair and read the book that he just started. 

Arthur glanced down at his phone and groaned. Only a minute passed by, but it felt like he had been standing there for at least ten minutes already. 

He put on his hood and crossed his arms in an attempt to keep warm. Every few seconds he thought about turning back. He felt uncomfortable standing on the side of the busy street. There was a fair amount of traffic, so there was often a line of cars in front of him as he waited for the bus to arrive. Sometimes someone would stare at him through a car window, which made Arthur feel ridiculous for ever going outside in the first place.

But Arthur continued to stay and wait for the bus despite his inner protests. It took a half hour for the next bus to finally arrive. To Arthur's dismay, the bus was crowded and didn't have any available seats. He would have waited for another bus if it wasn't so cold outside and if he hadn't already waited so long.

Arthur held onto a pole in the center of the bus and struggled to stay standing while the vehicle moved. His legs hurt from standing outside and his body now felt tired from the long wait. Each time the bus stopped, Arthur didn't have the strength to hold onto the pole, so he was propelled forward until he crashed into whoever was standing in front of him. He had to apologize to at five different people.

Whenever a seat became available, someone else would sit down before Arthur could take a single step. It was half past nine when Arthur arrived at the party. The cafeteria echoed with music. There were a lot of people at the party, more than Arthur had expected. The space seemed much smaller than usual, likely because all of the food shops were closed. 

Several of the tables in the cafeteria were lined together to hold the refreshments. There was an array of finger foods, sandwich rolls, fruits, and drinks — alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The tables that weren't being used for the party had flipped chairs stacked on them where the seat of the chair rested flat on the surface of the tables. 

Although a lot of people were standing or dancing, it seemed like there weren't any free seats. As Arthur looked through the crowd, he noticed a few people from work. In an attempt to avoid them, he walked over to the refreshments and went to the table that was closest to the doors he came in through and furthest away from the party.

As he continued looking around, he couldn't find Alfred anywhere. Panic swelled in his chest when he realized that the alpha may have changed his mind about coming to the party. Or maybe Alfred was there at eight and had already left.

Since Arthur went through so much to get there, he decided to stay. He didn't feel comfortable taking a chair down from a table to sit on, so he leaned against the table that he was standing by. The only thing on this table was eggnog, but it seemed like it was an extra batch. 

Feeling awkward, Arthur poured himself a cup of eggnog and was surprised by the strong taste of alcohol. It was certainly stronger than the beers and coolers that were stacked at a different table. Arthur downed the drink in a few quick gulps. He hiccuped as he went to refill his cup. This time he drank the beverage in slow sips as he looked around the room. 

Many people were laughing while doing silly dances. Everyone seemed like they were having fun, but none of this was what Arthur considered to be enjoyable. His idea of fun was reading a good book all night long, which was what he should have been doing at that very instant. 

An hour passed by and even more people filtered in, but the blue-eyed alpha was still missing. There were more people at this party than Arthur could handle. They were either chatting away or dancing to the music. 

Arthur fought back a yawn as he poured himself another cup of eggnog. His body stiffened as he saw a person approach him. She greeted him and made a comment about the party while she poured herself a cup of eggnog. Then she made a comment about the milk punch. Arthur nodded in agreement but didn't say anything. He fumbled around until he found his phone, then he stared down at it while the woman continued speaking.

Once she was gone, Arthur let out his breath as his body relaxed. He hated when that happened. Every so often one or so people would come near him to try the eggnog. Apparently, the first batch at one of the other tables ran out. Each time it happened, Arthur practically held his breath in apprehension that they would speak to him. 

Most people gave a fleeting greeting to acknowledge his presence, but some people - like the woman who just spoke to him - tried to start small talk, which Arthur hated. Whenever that happened, Arthur would take out his phone and pretend to be busy until they walked away. Since he had to take his phone more than a couple of times, he couldn't help but notice that he didn't have any new messages.

Arthur sighed as he put his phone away. This was definitely not the sort of event that he fancied. He wasn't sure why he decided to go to it in the first place, especially when he already had exciting plans for the evening. 

Then his eyes lit up when he spotted the American approaching him. The alpha was wearing sleek black pants and a simple white fitted shirt with a chocolate brown blazer over it. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, giving the outfit a more casual look. He looked like a model from a magazine. 

"Hey," Alfred greeted once he reached Arthur. "You made it!"

"Yeah..." Arthur mumbled before taking a sip of the eggnog to hide the smile that was creeping on his lips.

Noticing the coat held in Arthur's arms, Alfred asked, "Do you wanna sit down somewhere? I can take down a couple of chairs for us."

"If you must," Arthur said, although he was thankful for the offer.

Alfred dragged a table a little closer to where Arthur was standing before taking down all four of the chairs. Arthur poured himself another cup of eggnog before joining Alfred at the table. He set his shoulder bag on the table before he took off his coat and set it down over the bag. Then he sat down on a chair beside Alfred.

"You seem like you're in the holiday spirit," Alfred commented as he looked at Arthur's outfit. "It's a good look on you."

Arthur's cheeks flushed from the compliment. Ignoring the compliment, Arthur mumbled, "Why did you want to come to this thing?"

Alfred gave Arthur a concerned look as he sat down. "Are you okay? You sound a little... different."

The Brit waved his hand to brush off the comment. 

When Arthur still didn't answer, Alfred reluctantly decided to let it go. "Anyway, I don't know. I thought this party would be fun."

"So fun that you came three hours late?" Arthur asked in a bit of a slur.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't know you would be here so I visited a couple of my friends after work and they have super adorable twins, then my friend's brother came by with his husband and I just lost track of time," Alfred explained.

"Sure, whatever. It's not like I was waiting for you," Arthur remarked with a hiccup. 

"Oh... okay. Anyway, um... so, a lot of people are dancing. Do you wanna dance or something?"

"I don't dance," Arthur said after downing his eggnog and letting out another hiccup. 

"That's okay. I'm happy for any excuse to hang out with you," Alfred said without looking at the Brit. 

Alfred had a way of making Arthur's heart flutter. The alpha was always so kind and genuine in his compliments. Arthur wasn't sure if he would ever get used to the way Alfred made him feel. 

" _Right_ , I have something for you," Arthur said as he remembered the gift he brought for the alpha. He reached in his coat pocket and took out folded bag. "Ta-dah."

"What is it?" Alfred asked as he took the folded cloth from the omega.

"A reusable bag," Arthur answered with a grin. "Now you don't have to waste so much plastic."

Feeling a little ashamed of himself, Alfred avoided Arthur's eyes as he unfolded the bag. Arthur often told him to recycle and picked on him for using plastic bags all the time, but it never clicked in Alfred's head that it was actually important to the omega. He thought it was just something people said, although now he felt silly for ever being so dismissive. It must have meant a lot to Arthur if he got him a gift like this.

Alfred grinned when he saw the American flag on the bag. "This is really cool, Arthur. Thanks. I promise to use it all the time."

"Good," Arthur said with a smile. 

"So how are you enjoying this party so far?" Alfred asked as he folded the bag and placed it inside his blazer pocket. His pocket wasn't nearly as deep as Arthur's coat pocket, so half of it stuck out. Arthur giggled as he scooted his chair toward Alfred and closed the distance between them.

"Frankly, I fancy this far more than the sort of parties I used to go to," Arthur said as he leaned forward and pulled the bag from Alfred's pocket. His legs bumped against Alfred's legs as he did so. Then he back in his coat pocket.

Alfred raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What kind of parties did you go to?"

"You don't want to know," Arthur said dismissively. "So are we dancing or not?"

"I thought you said—?" 

"Come on," Arthur said as he set down his empty cup and stood up. He took Alfred's hand and pulled until Alfred stood up too. Then Arthur wrapped an arm around Alfred's arm to clumsily lead the alpha away from the table so they would have space to dance. 

As they danced, Arthur kept tripping over himself and leaning against Alfred. Toward the end, Alfred held Arthur close as they danced together. He kept one hand at the small of Arthur's back while the other stayed at Arthur's shoulder. 

"Maybe we should sit down," Alfred suggested when Arthur's body felt heavy on him. It seemed like the omega was having a hard time standing.

Arthur yawned before saying, "One more."

"Okay," Alfred said.

They danced for one more song before Alfred lead them back to their table. As they were heading back, Arthur let go of Alfred so he could get another cup of eggnog. Then the Brit stumbled his way to Alfred who was already sitting down. He then handed the cup to the alpha.

"What is this?" Alfred asked as he took the cup from the omega.

"Nog. It's good. Try it," Arthur said as he sat down. 

"Whoa, what's in this?" Alfred exclaimed after taking a sip.

"Um... rum, I think," Arthur said with a hiccup. He took the cup from Alfred and drank some. "Yes. Definitely rum."

"How much did you drink?" Alfred asked.

"Two cups?" Arthur guessed. "No, four... Maybe six?"

"Oh, Artie," Alfred sighed.

"What?" Arthur asked, smiling from the nickname. Alfred had never called him that before. 

"I think you might be drunk," Alfred said. 

Arthur frowned a bit but couldn't stop himself from smiling. "I'm just a wee bit tipsy."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Okay, you're just tipsy. But let's not drink any more alcohol, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Arthur said as he placed his free hand on his forehead. "Why is everything so spinny?"

"Come on, let's go. I think it's time to go home," Alfred suggested.

"The song's not finished," Arthur protested with a pout.

"Okay. We'll wait until the song is over," Alfred said. 

Arthur placed his arm over the table and rested his head on it as he listened to the song. The moment the song was over, Arthur giggled as he said in a singsong voice, "I knooow who I want to take meee home."

"Cute," Alfred said with a quiet laugh. "Ready to go?"

Arthur yawned before mumbling, "Sure."

Alfred was the first to stand up. He held his hand out for Arthur to take. After he helped Arthur on his feet, he grabbed the coat from the table and handed it to the omega. Arthur clumsily put the coat on with a fair bit of effort, then he put on his shoulder bag. 

The alpha an arm around Arthur's waist to help keep the omega standing as they left the party. Arthur leaned against Alfred's side and rested his head on the alpha's shoulder as they walked to the car. He blushed as he took in the alpha's scent. 

It was even colder outside than it was earlier, but being so close to Alfred made Arthur feel warm. When they reached the car, Alfred opened the passenger door for Arthur and helped the omega sit down inside before closing the door for him. Then Alfred got in the driver's seat and started driving to the omega's apartment.

There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Arthur broke it to say, "It's true, you know."

"What is?" Alfred asked, briefly glancing over at the omega.

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end," Arthur slurred, but Alfred understood what the omega said.

"Yeah, that's true," Alfred said. 

"Like friendships have to end for people to become lovers," Arthur said while yawning. 

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows a bit from the random comment. "I guess that's true sometimes, but not always."

"So you think people who have sex can stay friends?" Arthur asked as coherently as he could.

Not realizing that Arthur was referring to friends-with-benefits, Alfred said, "Of course."

"Brill," Arthur muttered while nodding off. 

It wasn't much longer before they arrived at Arthur's apartment. The real challenge was finding a parking space nearby. Alfred circled around the block for at least ten minutes before a space opened up in front of the apartment. Once he parked, he was about to get out of the car when he remembered something.

"Oh yeah," Alfred said. "I forgot about the reusable bag."

"Right," Arthur said sleepily. He took it out of his pocket and handed it to the alpha. "Don't forget to actually use it"

"Don't worry, I'll remember," Alfred said with a grin. 

Then Alfred got out and went in the back seat of his car to grab a box that was neatly covered in red and white striped wrapping paper. While carrying the box in one arm, he then opened the door for Arthur and assisted the omega out of the car. Arthur stumbled forward and fell on Alfred. 

Blushing from how close they were, Alfred used his free hand to hold onto Arthur's arm so he could help the omega walk inside the apartment. Although Arthur didn't say anything, he appreciated the assistance. The short flight up to the door seemed much longer to the omega who could barely stay on his feet.

"Do you have your keys?" Alfred asked.

Arthur leaned forward and rested his head on Alfred's chest. He closed his eyes and nuzzled against Alfred, making the alpha blush. Alfred wrapped his free arm around the Brit and rested his chin on the top of Arthur's head. 

As tempting as it was to stay like this, Alfred gently grabbed Arthur with his free hand and moved the omega away as he asked, "Are your keys in your bag?"

Arthur nodded as he fumbled his way through the shoulder bag while Alfred helped keep him steady. Once Arthur found them, Alfred took the pair of keys and unlocked the bottom lock. When the door didn't open, he used the other key to unlock the top. 

"Here," Alfred said as he placed his free hand at the small of Arthur's back. "Let me help you."

Arthur hiccuped as he zigzagged his way to the couch. The moment he got there, he plopped down with a loud thump. Alfred resisted the urge to laugh as he looked at Arthur. 

"Maybe it's better if I helped you to your room?" Alfred suggested. 

"To my bed?" Arthur yawned.

"Sure. Oh! I have a gift here for you," Alfred said while looking down at the box that was still being held under his arm. "Where should I put —" Alfred paused when he realized Arthur was already asleep. He smiled as he gazed down at the omega. 

Before going to the couch, Alfred placed the box down on the armchair by the couch. Then he walked over to Arthur.

"It's almost midnight. Do you want to try to stay up for the countdown?" Alfred asked.

"Don't care," Arthur groaned as he nuzzled his face on a throw pillow. 

"Okay, let's get you in bed," Alfred said softly.

"Are you staying with me?" Arthur mumbled while yawning.

Alfred fought back a laugh as he wondered how it was possible for someone to be so adorable. "Until you fall asleep? Sure, if you want me to."

Arthur grumbled something in response that Alfred couldn't make out. 

"I'm gonna to carry you to your room, okay?" Alfred asked before he wrapped an arm around Arthur's back. Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck as the alpha moved his other arm under Arthur's legs and scooped the omega into his arms.

Arthur blushed as he nuzzled his face against Alfred's shoulder and resisted the urge to kiss the alpha. 

Since the flat was small, it didn't take more than a few seconds for Alfred to find the bedroom. When he set Arthur on the bed, the omega pushed down his pants and kicked them off. Alfred adverted his eyes after seeing a glimpse of Arthur's lace panties. Then Alfred noticed that Arthur was trying to reach a pair of night pants that were on the bed.

Alfred picked them up and helped Arthur slide them on. Then he covered the omega with the blankets that were on the bed. 

"Comfy?" Alfred asked.

Arthur's eyes were closed and there was a big smile on his face as he nodded in response. Alfred smiled as he gazed at the older blond.

"Do you still want me to wait until you fall asleep?" Alfred asked.

"No," Arthur grumbled. Alfred was about to get up when Arthur reached out for him and whined, "Stay."

Alfred's eyebrows raised from surprise. "You want me to sleep with you?" 

"Mmhmm," Arthur hummed merrily.

"Oh, Artie," Alfred sighed as he kneeled down beside the bed. "I would love to, but you're, like, super out of it."

"Am not," Arthur huffed cutely. 

Alfred smiled at the omega. "I'll stay until you fall asleep, okay?"

"Kay," Arthur murmured. 

Alfred sat on the edge of the bed and stayed with Arthur until the Brit fell asleep. He watched him sleep for a brief moment before reluctantly leaving.

"Just one more minute left in twenty-fourteen," Alfred said. He glanced over to Arthur who was lightly snoring. "Art?"

The omega was sound asleep.

Alfred stared at his phone and watched as eleven fifty-nine turned to midnight. 

"Happy new year," Alfred said softly. He gently brushed the blond fringe from Arthur's forehead, which made Arthur sigh happily in his sleep. Then Alfred quietly got up and left the bedroom. He turned off all the lights before finally leaving to go home.

Arthur woke up late in the morning when he finally heard his phone alarm. He groaned and rubbed his forehead while he used his other hand to feel around the bed. Once his fingers touched his phone, he grabbed it and turned off the alarm. He frowned when he realized just how late it was. Although he should be able to get to work on time, he wouldn't be able to read or take a shower that morning. 

Not exactly a great start to the new year.

After brushing his teeth and getting dressed, he quickly made a bagel to eat on the way to the bus stop and filled an insulated tumbler with tea. As he rushed over to the door, he noticed a large red and white box on his armchair.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the present. He walked over to it and saw a small sticker that simply read:

**To: Arthur**  
**From: Alfred**

Arthur frowned a bit as he stared at the note. He didn't know how to feel. Arthur didn't really fancy gifts and he hated surprises. His normal reaction was to be upset, but he vaguely remembered how Alfred helped him up the stairs the night before. He supposed that was when Alfred left the gift, although he didn't remember Alfred staying inside long enough to do that.

Arthur's eyes widened when he opened the gift. To his delight, there was a lovely teacup set inside. He mentioned months ago in passing that he wanted to get around to buying himself proper teacups, but he felt conflicted since he didn't actually need them since he already had plenty of cups. Alfred had been stuffing his face with food at the time, so Arthur didn't think the alpha even heard what he said. 

The teacups were blue like Alfred's eyes and the rim of the cups was gold. There was also a golden floral pattern over the teacups that Arthur adored. The set of teacups was simple yet elegant. It was exactly the sort of set Arthur wanted.

"Oh, Al," Arthur murmured with a smile on his face. 

How did he end up with such a wonderful person in his life?

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the story! 
> 
> If you're a USUK fan looking for something angsty, then you should read Part 2 of this series titled "What If I Said Yes?"
> 
> If you're looking for a slow burn/build with an eventual happy ending, then you should read Part 3 of this series titled "The Choices We Make"
> 
> Happy New Year! (ﾉ◕◡◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


End file.
